1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improved methods and systems for optimally discharging metal-air fuel cell battery (FCB) systems and devices, as well as improved methods and systems for optimally recharging the same in a quick and efficient manner.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,296,960 Applicant discloses several types of novel metal-air fuel cell battery (FCB) systems. During power generation, metal-fuel tape is transported over a stationary cathode structure in the presence of an ionically-conducting medium, such as an electrolyte-impregnated gel. In accordance with well known principles of electro-chemistry, the transported metal-fuel tape is oxidized as electrical power is produced from the system.
Metal-air FCB systems of the type disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 08/944,507 have numerous advantages over prior art electro-chemical discharging devices. For example, one advantage is the generation of electrical power over a range of output voltage levels required by particular electrical load conditions. Another advantage is that oxidized metal-fuel tape can be repeatedly reconditioned (i.e. recharged) during battery recharging cycles carried out during electrical discharging operation, as well as separately therefrom.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,250,370, Applicant discloses an improved system and method for recharging oxidized metal-fuel tape used in prior art metal-air FCB systems. By integrating a recharging head within a metal-air FCB discharging system, this technological improvement theoretically enables quicker recharging of metal-fuel tape for reuse in FCB discharging operations. In practice, however, a number of important problems have remained unsolved which has hitherto rendered rechargeable FCB systems commercially unfeasible.
In particular, prior art FCB systems have required very large volumes of physical space to accommodate enlarged recharging electrodes. In practice, this is often not possible, or practical.
Prior art FCB systems have suffered from problems associated with over and under recharging oxidized metal-fuel tape and sheets produced during discharging operations. Consequently, it has not been possible to optimally recharge metal-fuel tape and sheets using prior art tape recharging systems and methodologies.
Also, using prior art FCB systems it has not been possible to optimally discharge metal-fuel tape and sheets using prior art tape recharging systems and methodologies.
Thus there is a great need in the art for an improved method and apparatus for discharging and recharging metal-fuel tape, sheets, cards, and the like in a manner which overcomes the limitations of prior art technologies.
Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved method of and apparatus for discharging and recharging metal-air fuel cell batteries (FCB) in a manner which avoids the shortcomings and drawbacks of prior art technologies.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such apparatus in the form of a Metal-Fuel Tape Recharging Subsystem, wherein recharge parameters, such as cathode-anode voltage and current levels, partial pressure of oxygen within the recharging cathode, relative humidity at the cathode-electrolyte interface, and where applicable, the speed of metal-fuel tape are automatically controlled in order to optimally recharge oxidized metal-fuel material (i.e. anodes) for reuse in metal-air FCB systems.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such apparatus in the form of a Metal-Fuel Tape Discharging Subsystem, wherein discharge parameters, such as cathode-anode voltage and current levels, partial pressure of oxygen within the discharging cathode, relative humidity at the cathode-electrolyte interface, and where applicable, the speed of metal-fuel tape are automatically controlled in order to optimally discharge metal-fuel material (i.e. anodes) for use in generating electrical power within metal-air FCB systems.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system, wherein a subsystem is provided for controlling the electrochemical reduction of metal-oxide along oxidized metal-fuel tape so as to completely reduce the metal-oxide at the fastest rate possible without destroying the porous structure of the metal-fuel tape.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system, wherein the metal-fuel anodes to be recharged (i.e. electro-chemically reduced) can be used with stationary and/or moving cathode structures employed in metal-air FCB systems.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system, wherein the metal-fuel structures to be recharged are realized in the form of oxidized metal-fuel tape which, during discharging operations, is transported across a cathode structure associated with the discharging head of a metal-air FCB system.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system, wherein the path-length of oxidized metal-fuel tape is substantially extended during recharging operations in order that a supply of oxidized metal-fuel tape contained within a cassette device or on a supply reel can be rapidly recharged.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system, wherein the oxidized metal-fuel tape to be recharged is contained within a cassette-type device insertable in the storage bay of a compact FCB discharging unit.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system, wherein the oxidized metal-fuel tape to be recharged comprises multiple metal-fuel tracks for use in generating different output voltages from a metal-air FCB system.
An object of the present invention is to provide such a system, wherein the path-length of oxidized metal-fuel tape is significantly extended within the recharging bay of the system using a tape path-length extension mechanism.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system, wherein the recharging head assembly comprises a plurality of cathode and anode structures which are selectively arranged about the extended path-length of oxidized metal-fuel tape during recharging operations.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system, wherein a recharging power regulating subsystem is provided for regulating operating parameters during electro-chemical reduction of metal-oxide during recharging operations.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system, wherein oxygen, generated from within the porous cathode elements of the recharging head of the system during electro-chemical reduction, is evacuated under the control of the recharging power regulation subsystem thereof.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system, wherein the relative humidity within the cathode elements of the recharging head of the system is controlled by the recharging power regulation subsystem thereof.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system, wherein the speed of the oxidized fuel tape transported over the recharging heads is regulated under the control of the recharging power regulation subsystem thereof.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system, wherein the voltage applied across and current driven through oxidized metal-fuel tape during recharging operations is regulated under the control of the recharging power control subsystem thereof.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system, wherein a metal-oxide sensing head is provided up-stream for sensing which metal-fuel tracks along a length of multi-tracked metal-fuel tape have been discharged (i.e. oxidized), and a recharging head is disposed downstream having multiple pairs of electrically-isolated cathode and anode structures for selectively recharging only those metal-fuel tracks that have been sufficiently oxidized (i.e. consumed).
Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel system for discharging a supply of metal-fuel cards or plates contained within a cassette storage cartridge.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system, wherein each metal-fuel card or plate is automatically loaded from the cassette cartridge into the recharging bay of the system.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel system for recharging metal-fuel cards or plates that have been oxidized during the discharging mode of operation.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system, wherein each oxidized metal-fuel card or plate is manually loaded into the recharging bay of the system, and after recharging (i.e. reducing) is completed, the card is ejected from the recharging bay in a semi-automatic manner.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system, wherein each oxidized metal-fuel card or plate is automatically loaded into the recharging bay of the system, and after recharging (i.e. reducing) is completed, the card is automatically ejected from the recharging bay, and another oxidized metal-fuel card is automatically loaded thereinto for recharging.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system, wherein each zone or subsection of metal fuel along the length of metal-fuel tape track is labeled with a digital code, through optical or magnetic means, for enabling the recording of discharging-related data during the discharging mode of operation, for future access and use in carrying out various types of management operations, including rapid and efficient recharging operations.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system, wherein metal-fuel tape can be transported through its discharging head assembly and recharging head assembly in a bi-directional manner while the availability of metal-fuel therealong is automatically managed in order to improve the performance of the system.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system, wherein the recharging bay contains an assembly of recharging heads, each of which comprises an electrically conductive cathode structure, an ionically conductive medium, and an anode contacting structure.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system, wherein a plurality of oxidized metal-fuel cards or plates is automatically transported into the system for high-speed recharging.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved method of and apparatus for electrochemically generating electrical power across an electrical load by discharging metal-air fuel cell batteries in a manner which allows for optimal recharging of the same during recharging cycles.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system and method, wherein during discharging cycles, multiple discharging heads are employed to discharge metal-fuel tape at controlled anode-cathode current levels in order to control the formation of optimally-reducible metal-oxide patterns therealong during discharge cycles.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system and method, wherein during discharging cycles, the use of multiple discharging heads enables each discharging head to be xe2x80x9clightly loadedxe2x80x9d, thus permitting improved control over the formation of metal-oxide during discharging cycles so that complete conversion thereof into its primary metal can be achieved in an optimal manner.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system, wherein information regarding the instantaneous loading conditions along each zone (i.e. frame) of the metal-fuel tape is recorded in memory by the system controller.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system, wherein (i) instantaneous loading condition data for each metal-fuel zone along a spool of metal-fuel tape is acquired by optically sensing bar code symbol data imprinted along the zone of metal-fuel tape to determine the identity thereof, (ii) loading conditions at the discharging head through which the identified metal-fuel zone passes are automatically sensed, and then (iii) such data is automatically recorded in memory for future use during subsequent tape recharging operations.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system, wherein, during tape recharging operations, such recorded loading condition information is read from memory and used to set current and voltage levels maintained at the recharging heads of the system.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system and method, wherein metal-fuel tape discharging conditions are recorded at the time of discharge and used to optimally recharge discharged metal-fuel tape during tape recharging operations.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system, wherein, during tape discharging operations, optical sensing of bar code data along each zone of metal-fuel tape is carried out using a miniaturized bar code symbol reader embedded within the cathode structure of each discharging head of the system.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system, wherein, during tape recharging operations, optical sensing of bar code data along each zone of discharged metal-fuel tape is carried out using a miniaturized bar code symbol reader embedded within the cathode structure of each recharging head of the system.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system, wherein both the metal-fuel tape discharging subsystem and the metal-fuel tape recharging subsystem thereof can be simultaneously operated in order to quickly recharge oxidized metal-fuel tape passing through the metal-fuel tape recharging subsystem as electrical power is being generated across an electrical loaded connected to the discharging subsystem.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system, wherein the subsystems thereof are remotely controllable through an input/output subsystem operably connected to the system controller.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a metal-air FCB system, wherein a metal-fuel tape discharging subsystem and a metal-fuel tape recharging subsystem are integrated within a single, stand-alone electrical discharging unit, and the tape path-length extension mechanism employed in the metal-fuel tape recharging subsystem extends oxidized metal-fuel tape over a path-length which is substantially greater than the path-length maintained by the metal-fuel tape path-length extension mechanism employed in the metal-fuel tape discharging subsystem.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a metal-air FCB system, wherein a plurality of metal-fuel cards can be loaded within a metal-fuel card discharging bay and simultaneously discharged within its metal-fuel card discharging subsystem in order to generate and deliver electrical power across an electrical load connected thereto.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a metal-air FCB system, wherein a plurality of metal-fuel cards can be loaded within a metal-fuel card recharging bay and simultaneously recharged within its Metal-Fuel Card Recharging Subsystem in order to convert metal-oxide along the metal-fuel card into its primary metal fuel for reuse during discharging operations.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a metal-air FCB system, wherein both the metal-fuel card discharging and recharging subsystems can be operated simultaneously as well as under the management of a system controller associated with a resultant system, such as an electrical power management system.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent hereinafter.